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Writing Strategies

Writing Strategies 2, session 1: September 23rd, 2011

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Homework:

  1. (for week 2) Write a summary of chapter 1 of “The Magician’s Nephew”, in English, in 5~7 sentences.
  2. email it to me by Monday 6 pm.
  3. I will correct it and return it to you by email.
  4. When you get your corrected summary back from me, post it on this blog as a comment (use your family name only)
  5. (for week 3) Read Genesis 1~3 (in either English or Japanese) 日本語聖書検索
  6. (for week 3)  What does the Bible teach us about magic? What is God’s attitude towards magic and towards people who use magic? Read each of the following Bible verses to find the answer:
    1. Exodus 7:1-8:19
    2. Deuteronomy 18:9-15
    3. Daniel 2
    4. Acts 8:9-13
    5. Acts 13:1-12
    6. Galatians 5:19-21

We also discussed, “What is Christianity? How is it different from Buddhism and other religions?”

According to the Book of Genesis, God gave the earth and everything in it to man to use:

Genesis 1:26

Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.”

Genesis 1:28

And God blessed them. And God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”

This is sometimes called “dominion theology” or dominionism (see English Wikipedia entry).

Many people blame the dominion theology of Genesis for our environmental problems. [From http://www.religioustolerance.org/tomek30.htm. Accessed 2011.09.23]

What do you think?

Please read the other students’ summaries in the comments below. Which ones are good summaries?

A row of town houses in London. Digory and Polly may have lived in one of these. Can you imagine the tunnel under the roof, connecting all the houses in a row? "Rowhouses" By Damian Gadal on Flickr. Perhaps nagaya in Japan is similar

 

Writing Strategies

Writing Strategies 1, session 9: June 24th, 2011

Students worked on the Study Guide, finishing the questions for chapter 7 and 8  (pages 24-26), up to question 8, and starting to read chapters 9 and 10.

Mr. Sheffner interviewed most of the students one by one, checking their Study Guides.

Homework:

Read chapters 9 and 10, and answer the Study Guide vocabulary questions and questions 1-5 on pages 28-30.

Aslan
Aslan (from http://aslanism.tumblr.com/)
2011 RinE, Research in English

Research in English (Linguistics) A session 9: June 17th, 2011

Charlemagne, one of the greatest European medieval rulers, lived from 747 to 814
Emperor Charlemagne, one of the greatest European medieval rulers, lived from 747 to 814

Today we finished chapter 2. Yay!

Some key points about today’s class:

  1. Celtic was once the main language of Europe. Paris, Belgrade (I said it’s in Yugoslavia, but I was wrong – it’s in Serbia!) and Dundee are all Celtic place-names (click the links to see where those towns are in Europe).
  2. Emperor Charlemagne, in English here and in Japanese here, ordered sermons to be conducted in lingua romana rustica (click here for Japanese Google translation)  instead of lingua latina from 813.
  3. Classical Latin (click here for Japanese) was different from ordinary or vulgar Latin. Today’s Spanish, Italian and French developed from this vulgar Latin rather than from classical Latin.
  4. This chapter refers to some places and people that Japanese people may not be familiar with, such as
    1. Charlemagne (see above)
    2. Pompeii (click here for Japanese Wikipedia entry)
    3. Sardinia (click here for Japanese Wikipedia entry)
    4. Mario Pei (click here for Japanese Yahoo Books search).

Homework:

Read chapter 3. Ms. Aoki will prepare pages 35-36. Ms. Watanabe will prepare pages 36-37.

  1. In your summary, highlight the key points, not the details.
  2. Research about one topic that interests you, or some topic that may be unfamiliar to Japanese readers  in chapter 3.
  3. Quote your sources. Where did you get the information from? Always use at least two sources of information.
  4. This book is in English, for English speakers and uses English or European examples. On your own, find some Japanese examples for some of the topics in chapter 3.

Student voices

Ms. Aoki researched about Latin vulgate. Read about it in English here, and in Japanese here. She also researched about Romance Language.

Ms. Watanabe researched about Thracian language, the Etruscan language and Tocharian languages.

 

Writing Strategies

Writing Strategies 1, session 8: June 17th, 2011

Today we translated parts of chapters 6, 7 and 8 (up to page 86).

We also checked the answers to the logic questions in the Study Guide, p. 23.

Homework:

  1. Read LWW chapters 9 and 10.
  2. Answer the Study Guide questions for chapters 7 and 8 (pages 24-26), up to question 8. Questions 9, 10 and the Writing Project are all options: you can do them if you want an A or B grade.
  3. Make sure your Study Guide is up to date. Show me your Study Guide next week.
A beaver dam
A beaver dam - this one is in Wales (photo from Beaver Information Exchange in Wales - click the photo to visit the original site)
A pair of beavers in Lake Caddo, Texas. Photo by Adam Welz. Click the photo to visit his excellent travel blog
Beavers have sharp teeth. They need them!
Beavers have sharp teeth. They need them! Photo by Milos Andera. Click to visit site.
Writing Strategies

Writing Strategies 1, session 7: June 10th, 2011

logic picture puzzle
Logic picture puzzle (click image to try the puzzle and find the answer)
  1. Chapter 5 and 6. Study Guide questions 1-9, pages 20-22.
  2. Why do we write citations? So that other people can find the book or website that we used for our research. Look at this list of citations. Which is the best one? Which ones can you actually find?

Homework:

  1. Send me an email with your answers to questions 1 and 2 below by midnight Tuesday (just send one email – the email subject must be “WS What is Myth Full Name”):
    1. What is a myth? Is a myth the same as a folk-tale (昔話）? Are they different? How are they different?
    2. Is a myth different from a fairy-story, or is it the same? How are they different? How are they the same?
    3. What is the difference between a myth and an epic poem such as Heike Monogatari?
    4. What is the difference between a myth and a novel such as the Tale of Genji?
    5. What is the difference between a myth and a legend, such as The One Inch Boy?
  2. “If things are real, they’re there all the time” says Peter. “Are they?” asks the Professor. What do you think? Do you agree with Peter or with the Professor? Give an example. Send me your answer by email by Tuesday midnight.
  3. Answer the logic questions in the Study Guide page 23. Do not send this by email.
  4. Read and prepare chapters 7 and 8.
Writing Strategies

Writing Strategies 1, session 4: May 20th, 2011

Marble sarcophagus with the myth of Endymion
Marble sarcophagus with the myth of Endymion. Photo by peterjr1961 on Flickr. Click image to visit

 

  1. Quiz on LWW chapters 3
  2. Check Study Guide answers for Vocabulary and 1-4 (on pages 15 + 16)
  3. Personal interviews

Homework:

  1. Study Guide questions for chapters 3 and 4, questions 5-10 (pages 16-17). (“For discussion” and “Optional Writing Project” are both options. You get extra points if you do them, but you don’t have to.)
  2. By next (Friday May 27th): are there any publications in Japanese like the Spark Notes for “The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe”? (see handout). If so, where can they be found and/or bought? What are the contents like? Are they useful?
  3. By next (Friday May 27th), find 10 customer reviews in Japanese about “The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe” (for example on Amazon Japan), and choose the best one (in your opinion).
    1. The reviews can be about the original English book or the  Japanese translation, it doesn’t matter. Reviews of this book are OK, too.
    2. The 10 customer reviews should include both positive and negative reviews.
    3. Print out the best one and bring it to class.
    4. Be prepared to explain to the class why you think it is a good review.
  4. By the Friday after next (June 3rd): read a Greek, or Roman myth and summarise it
    1. in English (200-300 words).
    2. And write a short paragraph about the similarities to the Japanese myth you wrote about. What are the common characteristics?
    3. Please think about the following questions:
      1. What is a myth? Is a myth the same as a folk-tale (昔話）? Are they different? How are they different?
      2. Is a myth different from a fairy-story, or is it the same? How are they different? How are they the same?
      3. What is the difference between a myth and an epic poem such as Heike Monogatari?
      4. What is the difference between a myth and a novel such as the Tale of Genji?
      5. What is the difference between a myth and a legend, such as The One Inch Boy?
2011 RinE, Research in English

Research in English (Linguistics) A session 5: May 20th, 2011

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What is language?
What is language? By dgray_xplane on Flickr, via nfp 2.0 http://www.nfp2.co.uk/2007/06/01/doing-things-together/index.html
  1. What is the Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis?
  2. What is Language? (handout: chapter 2 from “Introduction to Linguistics” by Jean Aitchison).

Homework:

  1. Answer the 5 questions to the chapter “What is Language?”
  2. Your mother asks you, “What did you study today in Research in English?” What will you tell her? Explain to her in easy language (in Japanese). Then post this as a comment on the class blog or send as an email to me.
  3. Prepare a paragraph from chapter 2 of “The Mother Tongue”.